


Happiness

by Skullnar



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Fluff, Galra Keith, Gen, M/M, prisonners, slowly warming up to one another
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 11:14:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7974808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skullnar/pseuds/Skullnar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>captured, Lance is left in a cell to rot. He expects torture, questioning, and threats. However, all he gets is a Galra named Keith, who just happened to be in the same cell as him. Lance is sure he is a spy, seeking to attain information. What he doesn’t expect, though, is to find himself befriending the Galra. (Galra!Keith. Comfort. Cuddles. Tears. Prisoners. Hope.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> [I have Tumblr](https://skullnar.tumblr.com/)

The steps of the moving Galra soldiers are heard beyond the dimly lit hallways of the cell they were imprisoned in. The sound is muffled by the distance of its source, stretching through the hall. It’s almost familiar to Lance’s ears. Ever since he was taken, this is the sound he hears, around a similar time every single day. He even begins using it as a mean of knowing the approximate hour. It doesn’t help much, really, but he can at least predict when meals and such will come for him and Keith.

Keith.

The Galra is quiet at this moment, sat at his corner, brooding as always. Keith digs his claws into the dusty, metallic floor, twirling his finger and scraping the rusty metal with a screech. His eyes are closed, and he seems to be humming a tune under his breath, the rhythm unfamiliar to Lance’s ears. 

Lance huffs and crosses his arms, deciding to observe the outside of their cell. It’s monotone as always. Dread and misery return to Lance every time he remembers how he ended up in this situation, and just how much danger the rest of his team must be in as they search for him. 

“Bored again?” 

Twisting his head back, Lance rolls his eyes. 

“What do you think?" he deadpans. It’s more than evident that Lance is the type of person to easily find themselves with a lack of entertainment. He can’t stand still for longer than a few minutes, and spending countless days and nights locked up in a Galran prison isn’t exactly giving him many activities to squander his time with.

Keith shrugs and closes his eyes again, settling against the wall behind him. Keith, unlike Lance, isn’t much of a talkative person, and he rarely speaks, much less starts conversations. Lance doesn’t converse with the galra often, either, for he believes it is suspicious. 

“I ain’t telling you nothing,” He said soon after he was thrown into the cell with Keith, dismissing the story he was told. “If anything, you’re a Galra spy wanting to get information about the paladins.”

Keith only arched and eyebrow and let it be.

Lance chuckles at the memory, and frowns as he remembers just how long it has been since he was thrown in this place. Weeks, month or years - he can’t tell. He doesn’t know the time like he once did, and he can only wait to be broken free. The thought seems naive even to himself.

“Do you know what they’re going to do to me?” Lance asks. The question has been floating in his mind for long, but he’s never thought of asking Keith. Even if he has, he likely banished the thought whenever it came. But the mystery has been plaguing him for too long now, and the worries driving him up the wall.

Keith brings a clawed hand to his chin, and furrows his eyebrows in thought. He seems to be thinking about it. Lance is surprised that the galra is actually mulling over the question.

“They’ll probably leave you here until they get the rest of the lions,” Keith tells him, nodding to himself. “Yeah, and then they’ll kill you once Zarkon has Voltron. For now, they need you alive; it will bring the rest of the paladins here.”

“Talk about blunt,” Lance mutters under his breath, running a hand over his face. Now he knows why he’s being kept alive. It makes him feel guilty that he is the bait to bring his friends to their doom. 

They’ll get through it, Lance tells himself. He doesn’t know who he’s convincing thought.

Silence descends upon the atmosphere once more, and Lance decides he can’t take it. He needs something to do, to distract himself. And if it means he has to talk with Galran spy, then so be it.

“Say, how did you end up here?”

Lifting a brow at him, Keith says, “Haven’t I told you already? You know, when you came in here and I told you my name and all?”

Flushing in embarrassment, Lance scowls indignantly. “Yeah, yeah, but I wasn’t bored to the point I’d have to talk with a spy. Do know, though, that I won’t be telling you anything about the lions.”

Keith shakes his head. “I’ve told you, I’m not a spy. In fact, I rebelled against Zarkon’s empire, and that’s what had me ending up here, locked up like you. I don't know what you think I am, but I assure you I want nothing to do with you. Or your team, at that.”

Still suspicious, Lance nods, but doesn’t vocalize his thoughts. 

“I see,” He says, “And what exactly did you do, then?”

Keith blinks at him. “I...betrayed the empire. Like I said. Are you deaf or something?”

“No, I’m not deaf," Lance says, glaring. “I’m just asking what exactly you did. Yeah, I get it - you betrayed the empire. But what exactly did you do that was considered treason?"

“Word it better, then, idiot,” Keith says, running a hand through his hair. 

Lance rolls his eyes. "Great, now tell me. Prove you’re no spy.”

“I’m not a spy,” Keith hisses, but takes a deep breath before speaking nonetheless. 

“Anyways, I wasn’t the first in my family to rebel against Zarkon. We had been always planning when to attack and escape. We would set various bombs to explode the Ship. It would destroy a lot of it, we believed. Then, we would get out of here. But, of course, things didn’t go as planned. Haggard, Zarkon’s which, discovered our plan, and..” Keith trails off for a second, and Lance feels the urge to reach out and hold him. He stops himself before he can move a muscle.

“He killed them. He killed my parents,” Keith says bitterly, clearly holding a grudge. Lance is surprised at how easily Keith confessed, and he’s even more shocked when he finds himself believing it all. 

“I, for some reason, he didn’t kill. He just threw me in here.”

There’s a long, awkward pause after Keith is done, and Lance is only capable of saying, “Oh.”

“Yeah. I’m no spy.”

Despite believing the story, even if he doesn’t want to, Lance denies. “Alright, so maybe you’re not a spy. But I’m still not trusting you. You can just be a good actor.”

Keith is now looking at him, head tilted to the side, blinking and almost...confused.

“What?" Lance asks, backing away. “What is it?”

“Ac...tor?” Keith repeats. “What’s an actor?”

“You don't know what an actor is?” Lance stares incredulously at Keith, who only shakes his head.

“You know, a person who acts? On theaters and movies?” 

“Theaters? Movies?” Keith only seems further confused and curious.

“Oh boy, I guess Galra’s don't have that kind of stuff do ya,” Lance muses, crossing his legs. “Well, sit down ‘cause you’re about to hear a story, bud."

“I’m already sitting down.”

“It’s just something people, say, okay? Anyways, an actor is, basically…”

Turns out, teaching Keith about human culture works wonder to get rid of his boredom. It’s rather amusing to see each expression crossing Keith’s features, and his interest in the subject fills Lance with warmth in the frigid loneliness of this prison.

Maybe, Keith might just not be a spy.

Lance ain’t trusting him just yet, though.

 

 

The air in the ship has never been warm or comfortable, but today, it is chilling. Lance can feel it biting at his skin, seeping right through his clothes and skin, into his shaking bones. He hugs himself and curls into a ball in the corner of the room, shivering from head to toe. It doesn’t help much. The prisoner attire of the Galras is not only weird but also inefficient against the low temperatures. Lance, seeing as the temperature only seems to be dropping, begins to fear for his health. Or if he might just end up freezing to death.

Keith, on the other hand, seems fine with the temperature, and Lance grumbles envily. He wishes he could be capable of resisting frost like that. Puffing a gush of air, Lance watches as his breath becomes white before his eyes, swirling and bristling like morning mist. Lance rubs his hand together, in search of heat, and once again shoots a jealous glare at the oblivious galra.

Maybe skinning him will work.

“You seem cold,” Keith states, as though it isn’t more than obvious.

“Oh, really?” Lance grits his teeth, willing them to stop trembling. “Never would have guessed.”

Sarcasm drips from his words.

Keith simply shrugs, going back to minding his own business. Lance guesses he can call yesterday a bonding moment. They have never really talked much, he and Keith. But yesterday seems to have changed that, seeing as they both exchanged nods and a few words in the morning.

“I hate this,” Lance admits. And he doesn’t mean the fact that he is in a Galran prison, which, clearly, sucks. But it isn’t what Lance is referring to - he is referring to cold it is, and how he doesn’t ask for help, no matter how much he needs and wants it.

“Do you know why it’s so cold?” Lance questions, deciding that a conversation might draw his mind from the freezing air.

Keith gives Lance an unimpressed look. “I don't know everything, you know.”

“Oh. right.” Lance says, disappointed.

“But,” Keith begins, and Lance looks up. “If I were to guess, I imagine they might be repairing damage from the ship somewhere close. They might have had to turn off the temperature controller for that."

“Oh, so like an air conditioner?” The look Lance receives s enough for him to know Keith doesn’t know what he’s speaking of. “It’s something people would put in their homes back on Earth to kee the air cooled in case it gets too hot.”

“Ah," Keith nods in understanding. He seems pleased by the answer.

“Yeah," Lance mumbles, fidgeting again. His lips are blue by now, and he can barely feel them. Worry is pooling in his gut, and he fears for what might happen to him.

“Are you alright?” Keith asks him, leaning closer to his face.

“Y-yeah,” Lance stutters lamely, groaning internally at how pathetic he sounds. 

“You’re not, evidently," Keith says flatly.

“So?” Lance puffs his cheeks, his thighs grinding together for warmth. 

“Galras are warmer,” Keith leans back on his knees as he speaks, eyes never leaving Lance's.

“I get that,” Lance narrows his eyes. “Your point?”

Pursing his lips, speaks.

“We could share body heat.”

At that, Lance splutters, cheeks reddening as he jumps away from Keith, as though the Galra was poison. He feels his back hit against the wall, and winces at the pain but does not approach Keith.

The Galra frowns. “What’s wrong?”

“The hell, man?” Lance cries.

“What?” Keith questions, blinking.

“What do you mean, what?” Lance flails. His limbs ache at the brute movement and he halts it, bringing his arms back to his sides. 

“I mean, why not?” Keith crosses his arms, disappointment clear as he murmurs under his breath something inaudible to Lance.

“‘Cause it’s weird," Lance tells him, the flush on his cheeks finally dissipating.

“How so?” Keith asks, oblivious to Lance’s inhuman heart rate at the moment.

“It…” Lance opens and closes his mouth. He doesn’t know how to explain it to Keith. “It just is."

“Still,” Keith insists, scooting closer to Lance again. “If we don't share body heat, you’ll end up freezing to death. I don't feel like sharing a cell with a rotten body.’

“Didn’t Zarkon need me alive?” Lance says, “He wouldn’t let me die if he did.”

The shivering is getting worse by the second, and the temperature dangerously lower. Keith sighs in exasperation at the resistance deciding to take matters into his own hands. It seems Lance will not be moving; He’ll have to do it himself.

“Listen, he does need you now, but if you die, how would your team know?”

As Lance breathes in a realization that they wouldn’t, Keith moves beside him and envelops Lance in his arms. Lance stiffens under the embrace but doesn’t move. The heat from Keith’s body seeps into Lance’s instantly, and he unconsciously relaxes. 

The position is uncomfortable, to say the least. Keith has his arms awkwardly draped over over Lance’s shoulder and back, a bit too distant. Lance, relenting, lets himself lean into Keith, and he swears he sees the Galra blush. That is, if Galras blush purple. 

“You’re warm,” Lance says after a beat of silence, and Keith archs an eyebrow at the obviousness.

“Yeah, that’s why we’re doing this in the first place.” 

“Uh, Y-yeah,” Lance nods, his cheeks tinged scarlet again. 

Neither of them say anything for what seems like hours, and it doesn’t take long for them to find comfort in the embrace. Lance moves even closer to Keith, either seeking more warmth or the comfort of the other’s body, and Keith is quick to readjust their positions, their heads resting on each other’s shoulders and arms and legs intertwined.

“Your name,” Keith suddenly breaks the silence, and Lance looks at him.

“My name?” Lance echoes.

Keith nods. “Yeah, you never told me your name, despite knowing mine.”

“Oh,” Realization dawns on Lance, and he scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. “It’s Lance,” He tells Keith.

“Ah,” Keith hums in content, testing the name on his lips, “Lance.”

“Yeah,” Lance says, gazing out of his cell. 

Not many words are exchanged, but Lance has to admit it’s been a long time since he has felt this warm, and he can’t be sure if it comes from Keith’s actual body temperature. What he does know, however, is that he likes it. A lot.

And maybe, he can get used to this, for if he is to fall asleep like this every time, he will be more than happy to do it again.

 

“Tic tac toe?” Keith repeats, craning his neck curiously. 

“Yeah,” Lance nods. “Here, give me your hand."

It has been likely over a few more weeks since the day Lance almost froze to death, and He and Keith are closer than ever. Sleeping comes much easier now that they do it together, in each other’s arms, and although lance took a while to accustom himself to it, he is pretty sure he can’t go back to sleeping without him at his side. During this time, Lance taught countless facts on earth’s culture to Keith, and the Galra sometimes spoke of his own race’s culture. Inevitably, Lance let slip some information regarding his team, and by some, he means a lot.

He practically told all the secrets of the team to Keith. If the Galra is truly a spy, Voltron is doomed. It will be Lance’s fault, to make things worse. However, his suspicions of Keith being an enemy are non-existent by now, and he fears he might just trust Keith with his life.

“Er, okay,” Keith nods, confused as to what Lance plans.

The blue paladin grabs the Galra’s hand and holds a clawed finger out. Slowly and cautiously, he scrapes it against the metal ground, ignoring Keith’s evident surprise. Sticking his tongue out in concentration, Lance first draws a line on the metal, then another and another. 

“There we go,” Lance declares as he settles back. He is pleased with his work. “Now,” He lifts up a finger and places it over one of the squares in the grid he drew. “You’re going to choose either the “X” or the “O”.”

As Lance explains how the game is to be played, Keith nods attentively, attempting to suck in as much information as he can. Last time, Lance showed him a different game, and they spent the whole day squandering their time on it.

“Alright,” Lance grins. “Ya ready, Keith?”

“Yeah,” Keith nods. 

“Good,” Lance rubs his hand, a smirk on his lips. “I’ll even let you start since I’m gonna wreck you anyways.”

Keith only furrows his brows in concentration, neglecting Lance’s taunt. Unsure, he carves an “X” and waits for Lance, who boastfully accomplishes his move. They go on playing for hours and hours, Keith shocking Lance every time he wins. It looks like he’s better at this Earth game than the one who taught him.

Despite this, they feel comfortable with one another. That is, until Keith notices the eventual waivers of Lance's lips. when Keith asks what's wrong to Lance, the blue paladin answer genuinely.

“I miss them,” Lance admits, his chin resting atop of his arms in his laying position.

“Your team?” Keith asks from beside him. He blinks when Lance shakes his head.

“Who then?”

“My family,” Lance tells him, and Keith realizes that he means his family on earth. He can’t say he understands what leaving a family behind feels like, for he never had to, but he can imagine it is pretty close to watching your family die. Not that it matters; what problem is worse is irrelevant. Both are just as hard on the victim.

Keith remains silent. He doesn’t want to pry, and only wants Lance to share if he is comfortable with it. The only reason he is able to tell of his past the way he does is for he’s had to do it many times to interrogators, although he never gave away any vital information.

“Earth, actually,” Lance speaks up. Keith’s attention shifts to him. “I miss it all - home. But my family, especially. They probably don't even know if I’m alive. They think I’m dead. And maybe I’ll just rot here for the rest of my life, and I’ll never see them again.”

Keith can see tears welling in Lance’s eyes. He doesn’t know what will help Lance, what words he should say, so he does what he thinks might help. He hugs him. 

Keith throws an arm over Lance’s shoulders, pulling their bodies together. He can see the red manifesting on Lance's cheeks. He ignores it as he places his chin on Lance’s head, silent. No words are exchanged, and slowly, Lance lets sobs break past his lips. He buries his face in Keith's chests and cries. 

Keith lets him. 

He knows what it feels like to need someone. Keith has always needed someone, but no one was ever there for him ever since his parents left this world, leaving him to rot in this cell alone. 

That is, until Lance came, bringing some light into his life. Before this. Keith was ready to die. He was ready to be executed by Zarkon. Now, however, he isn’t anymore. He wants to live. And it’s all thanks to Lance, who finally gave him a reason to live. 

As Keith is about to speak, comfort Lance, the structure of the ship jerks. They are both throw to the other side of the cell, their backs slamming against the wall behind them. They grunt before getting up. Lance wipes the tears from his face with his sleeves, then turns to Keith, eyes hard. 

“What was that?” Lance asks.

“I don't know,” Keith says honestly. “But I think we might be under attack.”

“Under attack?” Lance’s eyes widen. “Then, it might be--”

“Don't be so sure,” Keith interrupts. “The galran empire has thousands of enemies across the universe.”

“Still,” Lance insists, his eyes filled with awe-striking hope. “As long as there’s a chance, I won’t give up!”

Just as Lance finishes his sentence, an explosion comes forth, hurling debris and bodies everywhere. Keith and Lance cover their faces with their arms, shielding their eyes from the dust that arose. Coughing, they swat it away, watching as a silhouette emerges from the smoke.

“Lance!” The man cries, metallic arm glowing a dark shade of purple.

“Shiro!” 

Keith can only watch as this man - Shiro, Lance called him - slashes at the bars of their cell, shattering the metal. Lance then jumps into Shiro’s arms and Keith can see tears in their eyes. They share a nod before Shiro starts moving, hurrying Lance along.

Keith is ready to be left behind, to make his own escape the other way. Shiro likely didn’t notice him. Slowly, Keith steps from his cell, Heart aching at the thought of never seeing Lance again, when Lance stops. Shiro, too, stops to ask Lance what is wrong.

“Keith,” Lance says, grabbing Shiro’s wrist and tugging him back. “We have to take him with us.”

“What?” Shiro stares at him, biting his lips as he already hears more Galrans approaching. “Who is Keith?”

“It’s him!” Lance cries, pointing at Keith.

Keith can only stand on his spot as various expressions of horror and shock cross Shiro’s face.

“That galra?!”

“Yes,” Lance says. “We have to take him with us.”

“Lance he is--”

“I don't care!” Lance cuts the black paladin short. “I’m not leaving without Keith!”

“Lance,” Keith is the one to speak this time. “Go. I’m alright. I’ll find a way to--”

“No!” Lance steps up to him, grasping his hand. “You’re the only reason I didn’t go insane this whole time! I’m not leaving you behind! You’re my friend now and I don't leave friends behind!”

Vaguely, Keith is aware of Shiro holding back dozens of more soldiers, but all he can think of the determination on Lace’s face, begging him to come along. He wants to decline, say he has no place among the paladins. But something - something deep in his heart, a feeling he can’t even begin to understand tells him to go with Lance. To choose happiness for once. 

And that’s what Keith does.

He nods, and Lance grins, and its seems as though they aren’t in the middle of a ship under attack, but instead lost in the vast universe, where it’s just the two of them.

“Yeah,” Keith grins with determination. “Let’s go.”

Happiness. His parents said it will be something they would gain from bringing Zarkon's armies down. But Keith never quite understood what it means to be truly, genuinely happy.

Now, he does, and it means to be free. To be with Lance.

 

.

**Author's Note:**

> [I have Tumblr](https://skullnar.tumblr.com/)


End file.
